In this episode we examine what Paul taught about being “born again” in the context of the sacrament of baptism – as the Apostle calls it “the washing of regeneration” (Titus 3:5). We also find in Paul the doctrine of original sin, the custom of infant baptism, and also the relationship of the sacrament of baptism to the sacrament of confirmation. Join us as we plow through about 25 Scriptural passages in the works of Saint Paul as they touch upon the sacraments of baptism and confirmation.

About the Author

Taylor was an Episcopal priest in Fort Worth, Texas before being received into the Catholic Church by Bishop Kevin Vann of Fort Worth.
Taylor was also formerly the Assistant Director of the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C., located three blocks north of the White House, where he lectured regularly. He was served under Archbishop John J. Myers and Msgr. William Stetson for the Pastoral Provision of John Paul II, the canonical structure by which Anglican clergy are received into the Catholic Church and then go on to pursue Holy Orders in the Catholic Church.
He is a graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary (M.A.R. Theology), Nashotah Theological House (Certificate in Anglican Studies), and University of Dallas (M.A. Philosophy). He is currently a Ph.D. student in Philosophy at the University of Dallas where he studies the Natural Law theory of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Summa Theologiae Ia Iaa qq. 94-108). Taylor and his wife live in Dallas, Texas with their five children. He is the author of The Catholic Perspective on Paul (forthcoming).
Visit his personal site at: www.taylormarshall.com
Taylor is also the Editor of Christian and American at: www.christianandamerican.com.

57 Comments

Taylor,
I think I may have met you a few years back at the CIC on K Street. I used to alternate between St. Matthew’s and CIC for Mass at noon when my office was at Farragut Square. I stumbled upon this podcast on iTunes. I really appreciate your work on this. I blazed through the first 4 episodes taking in all the Scripture as well. I’ve had to listen to this episode several times just to grasp it all. This is due in part to distractions as the parent of a 5 year old, but also, trying to find time to listen to the episode in its entirety and read the Scripture passages has been difficult. Just wanted to let you know that I am finding this series useful. Thanks again.

The best part for me was how you dealt with infant baptism, I somehow omitted that in my book (because I organized the chapters differently, none for sacraments as such, rather: Paul and God, Paul and Salvation, Paul and the Church).

Confirmation is more tricky. I mean is there anyone today among the exegetes who would seriously hold that Paul in his letters refers to the sacrament of confirmation? The references to the seal of the Spirit in 2 Cor and Eph are commonly taken to refer to baptism if any sacrament. The problem would be much smaller if baptism and confirmation were administered together, but in the west they aren’t. The problem with separating them is that you’ll always end up having to downplay one of them because the more you exalt the other, the less the other one will have to contribute. Would Paul call an 8 year old Christian sealed with the Spirit if baptized but not confirmed? That sort of sets the stage for what I mean… either way, we Western Catholics are in trouble. Any helpful thoughts here?

The apostolic church was already struggling with the relationship of baptism to confirmation. Acts shows a separation already.

I think Paul would take the same position of Peter and John in Acts. The Samaritans were baptized, but not yet confirmed. They were deemed as greatly lacking in their Christian identity. So, yes, I think “being sealed” is for Paul a sign of being both baptized and confirmed.

As to your good question: “I mean is there anyone today among the exegetes who would seriously hold that Paul in his letters refers to the sacrament of confirmation?”

I reply with a cheeky answer: “Who cares about the modern exegetes?” The Fathers were united in their teaching that Paul uses “seal” in this way. St Thomas Aquinas teaches the same. There is a legitimate argument over the necessity of chrism. I think modern exegetes typically have a prejudice against sacramental readings because: a) they are Protestant or, in the case of Catholics, trained by Protestants or with Protestant texts; and b) they are academics and not priests and mystagogical catechists like the Fathers who lived liturgical lives.

I’m not sure if Acts 8 can serve as a model for a baptized bun non-confirmed Christian. It seems to have been a special settlement – the Gospel went to Samaria (!) but not through the apostles, so God wanted to wait and give the Holy Spirit to the Samaritans through the Apostles’ hands. Note it says they hadn’t even received the Holy Spirit, something strange, because baptism should ordinarily give it. It’s not that they didn’t have the “fullness” or “seal”.

Acts 8 is a locus classicus for confirmation as distinct from baptism. It’s not a “model” but it is a witness, that’s all I’m saying.

Pope Melchiades wrote (Ep. ad Episc. Hispan.): “The Holy Ghost bestows at the font the fullness of innocence; but in Confirmation He confers an increase of grace.”

Thomas Aquinas says that baptism confers the Holy Ghost, but confirmation confers the “fullness of the Holy Ghost.” He also states that confirmation makes one a “perfect Christian” (ST III, q. 72, a. 11):

Hence Pope Urban I says: “All the faithful should after Baptism, receive the Holy Ghost by the imposition of the bishop’s hand, that they may become perfect Christians.”

I think Paul would agree with this. The Gospel of Luke and the Acts (which I consider to be deeply Pauline) have a high view of the Holy Spirit and how His power is conferred as distinct from baptism. This is a Lucan-Pauline doctrine.

Thanks for the quotes! Could you provide the centuries for the Popes, please?

The problem I mentioned is seen in the above quotes as well. The first downplays confirmation by saying it’s simply an increase – Acts 8 is not about an increase but receiving the Spirit. Aquinas downplays both because baptism thus makes less-than-perfect and confirmation is only a fullness, what is lacking, not the thing itself as in Acts 8.

Urban on the other hand says one receives the Holy Ghost in confirmation, which downplays baptism, unless one says one has received the Spirit in baptism already and confirmation is only the perfection, which then again downplays confirmation and baptism as well…

Plus there is the empirical problem of absolutely nothing happening to confirmed Catholics, at least I’ve never seen anything like what the NT describes the Holy Spirit’s effects to be take place in Catholic confirmation. And mostly these people aren’t putting an obstacle in the way themselves. Contrast eg the “baptism in the Spirit” of the charismatics.

Hey Paul- I appreciate the website, sites like this allow me to decompress a bit from the everyday stresses of our life – and it is always nice to hear different perspectives on the Faith.

In my mind, the clearest reference to Paul’s understanding of what it is to be “born-again” (and I would argue if Paul truly didn’t know, then I’m really missing something) is in Galatians when he asks the very pointed question, “I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?” (Galatians 3:2).

In my mind, it is virtually impossible to understand any other Pauline understanding of how to become born-again except through belief in the Gospel if we consider this verse.

How do believers whom are aware of this verse and believe the Bible to be faithful understand this verse in a different manner than in the obvious?

Taylor,
I think I may have met you a few years back at the CIC on K Street. I used to alternate between St. Matthew’s and CIC for Mass at noon when my office was at Farragut Square. I stumbled upon this podcast on iTunes. I really appreciate your work on this. I blazed through the first 4 episodes taking in all the Scripture as well. I’ve had to listen to this episode several times just to grasp it all. This is due in part to distractions as the parent of a 5 year old, but also, trying to find time to listen to the episode in its entirety and read the Scripture passages has been difficult. Just wanted to let you know that I am finding this series useful. Thanks again.

Ivan Torres

Posted December 25, 2010 at 10:53 AM

Most people that use some sort of referencing method would probably appreciate that when a statement is made such as “We also find in Paul the doctrine of original sin, the custom of infant baptism, and also the relationship of the sacrament of baptism to the sacrament of confirmation;”
there should at least be one or two “references” immediately available with the statement.

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In the Bible you do find examples of infant circumcision, and baptism replaces circumcision. See Col 2:11-12

“In whom also you are circumcised with circumcision not made by hand in despoiling of the body of the flesh: but in the circumcision of Christ. Buried with him in baptism: in whom also you are risen again by the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him up from the dead.” (Colossians 2:11–12, D-R)

If God applied a sacrament to the infants in the Old Testament, why would He change His mind in the New Testament. Jews in the 1st century would be horrified to learn that their infants were excommunicated…

Welcome to the Catholic Perspective on Paul

This site is an outgrowth of my book The Catholic Perspective on Paul. It is based on the conviction that the Pauline epistles contain the primitive and pristine doctrines of the Catholic Faith. In the Pauline corpus we discover a Paul who is Catholic, a theologian who is sacramental, a churchman who is hierarchical, a mystic who is orthodox. Please enjoy the articles and listen to the talks ("PaulCasts") either directly in the site or via iTunes. Listen to Episode #1: RABBI SAUL BECOMES APOSTLE PAUL.